How To Video: Update Twitter and Facebook with Siri

How To Video: Update Twitter and Facebook with Siri

2:45 /
October 21, 2011

Siri hasn't quite figured out how to deal with these social networks yet, but Sharon Vaknin has a work-around.

-Hey everyone.
I'm Sharon Vaknin for cnet.com.
And today, I'll show you how to update Facebook and Twitter with Siri.
Now, this might seem like an obvious task, but here is what happens if you ask Siri to update one of your social networks.
Update Twitter.
I'm at CNET right now.
I can't send tweets for you.
Sorry about that.
So, Siri says she can't help me update Twitter, but I found a work around that will not only make her update Twitter, but Facebook too.
What we'll do is set up Facebook and Twitter with SMS updating and send the updates via text message through Siri.
To get started, text START to 40404.
You should get a reply from Twitter asking you for your user name.
So, go ahead and reply.
Do the same when they ask you for your password.
Once it's confirmed, reply with OK and you should be all set.
Now, go ahead and add 40404 as a new contact on your phone and name it Twitter for easy access.
Now, let's do the same thing for Facebook.
Text HELLO to 23665.
Click the link in the reply and Safari will open up to complete the setup process.
Choose your settings and hit save.
Finally, add 32665 as a new contact and name it Facebook.
Now, you can use these commands to update Facebook or Twitter with Siri.
Send a text to Twitter.
Artificial intelligence is the future.
Here's your message to Twitter.
Ready to send it?
She'll ask you to confirm and you can tap send or say send to publish your update.
Send.
Okay, I'll send your message.
Try it with Facebook.
Send a text to Facebook.
What should I do tonight (question mark).
Here's your message to Facebook.
Ready to send it?
Confirm your message and your Facebook status will be updated.
You can go back to driving, jogging, or doing whatever you are doing.
One thing you should know is that these short codes are only good for the U.S. and a few other countries.
Be sure to check the Twitter and Facebook sites to find the right codes for your area.
For more tips, visit howto.cnet.com and feel free to send me any questions on Twitter or my Facebook page.
For CNET, I'm Sharon Vaknin and I'll see you on the interwebs.